I just want to give a big shout out to Kirk Demerais, author of the wonderful book "Life of the Party" a history of the SS Adams company. The book has rekindled my childhood interest in practical jokes and got the collector in me hunting down old favourites, and collecting both old and new. The packaging on these pranks have great artwork that may appeal to those that love their Kaiju header cards, rather than just what is in the bag. The contrast between the packaging from the 60s with that of today is so marked and even packaging between countries varies in the type of artwork used. I'm particularly fond of the 50s/60s era American packaging.
Its interesting to see how changes in society and mores are reflected in the gags, even language. Anyone call a fart a "bronx cheer" still? When did it become acceptable to package whooppe cushions as "fart cushions". Even these ephemeral novelties leave an anthropoligical trail of shifts in attitude in society.
Kirk's book (and blog) gives a fascinitating insight into the history of some of the pranks from sneezing powders origins (now banned by the FDA and reduced to a far less effective pepper) to the hand buzzer. This is the story behind those ads in the comics.
Picked up some sneezing powder last week, black soap, hot sweets and a whoopee cushion on Wednesday.
Kirk's blog:
http://secretfunspot.blogspot.com/Anyone else a prank collector or have fond memories of these?
